| July 16th News Update |
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The price of some produce maybe going up in the near future as Central and Eastern Canada experience extreme heat and little rain, causing drought conditions. So far this summer there’ve been record-setting high temperatures across Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces coupled with some of the lowest rainfall on record. Experts say that corn is an especially vulnerable crop because of the lack of rain that is essential to help pollination. The Progressive Conservative Party appointed Kelley Charlebois as executive director on Friday. The veteran Tory said he’ll be focused on the party’s constitutional review, which will address ongoing controversy about the leadership election rules, as well as the construction of databases to help the party track supporters. He went on to say that the party is already preparing for the 2016 election, and he’ll be overseeing that work too. State media are reporting that North Korean military chief Ri Yong-ho has been removed from all official posts. As well as being head of the army, he was vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission and held top posts in the ruling Workers' Party. A statement released said that he had been removed from his posts "because of illness". His removal is being scrutinised by analysts for signs about which direction Kim Jong-un, the new young leader, will take the country. Aid group Save the Children has warned of an escalating refugee crisis in the border region between Sudan and South Sudan. The charity said that fighting along the disputed border had led to a huge influx of refugees, with about 2,000 children arriving at crowded refugee camps in South Sudan every day. Aid agencies have warned of dire conditions in the camps. The charity’s South Sudan country director said; "The worst-case scenario is now a reality - we are witnessing a full-blown humanitarian crisis in one of the most remote places on earth." In Sports… After a four-hole playoff, American Chris Killmer defeated Vince Covello to win the Canadian Tour's Players Cup. Killmer and Covello started the day tied for first at 13 under and finished regulation play at 15 under, setting up Winnipeg's first playoff since 1989. Both players parred the first playoff hole, bogeyed the second and parred the third. But Killmer won the fourth hole after Covello's three-putt, picking up the $24,000 prize money. The Jays’ Sergio Santos is to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery after he felt discomfort during a throwing session Saturday. The 29-year-old right hander is anticipated to return to the team for spring training, although a timeline won't be established until after the surgery is completed. The Jays managed a series win over the weekend beating the Indians 3-0 yesterday. They’ll head over to New York today to start a 3 game series, first pitch 5:05. Evidence is mounting that the Knicks will not match the Houston Rockets' offer sheet to Jeremy Lin. The Knicks are still deliberating whether they can pay Lin more than $25 million over three years. The Rockets' offer to Lin would pay him $5 million in the first year, $5.2 million in the second and $14.8 million in the third, according to sources. |

